Weekly Edition March 29, 2019
Price Of A Brace Brings Soccer Player To His Knees
Paula Andalo
After a sports injury, Esteban Serrano owed $829.41 for a knee brace purchased with insurance through his doctor’s office. The same kind of braces sell for less than $250 online, he says.
Trump Administration And Democrats Return Health Law To Political Center Stage
Julie Rovner
The Justice Department asks a federal appeals court to strike down the Affordable Care Act, then, hours later, House Democrats unveil proposals to bolster the law.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Health Care’s Back (In Court)
It’s been a wild week for health policy, mostly because of developments surrounding two different legal cases. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHN’s Julie Rovner to sort it out with a discussion of a setback for Medicaid work requirements and the Trump administration’s decision to back a lawsuit claiming the entire Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. Also, Rovner interviews filmmaker Mike Eisenberg about his movie “To Err Is Human: A Patient Safety Documentary.”
Medicaid Expansion Boosts Hospital Bottom Lines — And Prices
Phil Galewitz
Colorado officials say hospitals are better off financially after the state expanded coverage to more low-income residents, but that hasn’t stopped them from shifting more costs to other insured patients.
Federal Judge Again Blocks Medicaid Work Requirements
Phil Galewitz
The decision applies only to Kentucky and Arkansas, and many experts expect the administration and other conservative states to continue to move forward on rules that would limit coverage for people who don’t work.
FDA Chief Calls For Release Of All Data Tracking Problems With Medical Devices
Christina Jewett
In the wake of a KHN investigation, Scott Gottlieb says releasing the records is in the public interest.
Device-Safety Experts To FDA: Make Data Public
Christina Jewett
For almost two decades, device makers have sent reports of incidents to databases hidden from public view.
Health Officials’ Plug For Next FDA Chief: Go Big On E-Cig Regulation
Shefali Luthra
With Scott Gottlieb making his exit from the Food and Drug Administration’s top spot, city and country health officials call for backup in the fight to curb teen use of e-cigarettes.
Doughnut Hole Is Gone, But Medicare’s Uncapped Drug Costs Still Bite Into Budgets
Michelle Andrews
Beneficiaries pay 25 percent of the price of their brand-name drugs until they reach $5,100 in out-of-pocket costs. After that, their obligation drops to 5 percent. But it never disappears.
Analysis: Why Americans Shouldn’t Feel Grateful For $137 Insulin
Elisabeth Rosenthal
Only by the bizarre logic of the U.S. pharmaceutical industry does this drug count as any kind of generic.
States Push For Caregiver Tax Credits
Samantha Young
Families often spend thousands of dollars caring for ailing loved ones at home. Lawmakers in California and at least seven other states want to provide some financial relief with state income tax credits.
More Older Adults With Joint Replacements Recover At Home, Not Rehab
Judith Graham
Research shows that going home after elective hip and knee replacements is a safe alternative for many patients.
She Was Dancing On The Roof And Talking Gibberish. A Special Kind Of ER Helped Her.
Heidi de Marco and Anna Gorman
With mental health beds in short supply, emergency rooms increasingly have become the care of first and last resort for people in the grips of a psychiatric episode. Now, hospitals around the country are opening emergency units that calmly cater to patients with mental health needs.
New Rules Will Ease Patients’ Access To Electronic Medical Records, Senate Panel Says
Fred Schulte and Erika Fry, Fortune
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), head of the influential HELP committee, wants to make it easier to share and store detailed medical histories.
Nation’s First HIV-To-HIV Kidney Transplant With Living Donor Succeeds
Victoria Knight and Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
The organ transplant from a living donor opens up the universe of available organs.